Structure of the Constitution BUNDLE: 3 Resources for Civics & American History

This Structure of the United States Constitution Bundle combines three of my resources: the Understanding the Constitution Article & Review, Structure of the Constitution Matching, and Structure of the Constitution Headline News Activity. Suitable for middle school students studying Civics, American Government, or American History, this bundle is a perfect way to introduce the layout of the U.S. Constitution! 

This bundle is compatible with the Florida State Standard for Middle School Civics:

• Standard 3: Demonstrate an understanding of the principles, functions, and organization of government.

The resources in this Structure of the United States Constitution Bundle include:

✯ Understanding the Constitution Article & Review. A reading passage provides an introductory overview of the structure of the Constitution, including the Preamble, seven Articles, and Amendments, as well as the seven constitutional principles. A comprehension review guides students through the article’s main ideas, while a graphic organizer and short-answer response reflection reinforce key concepts and make students think introspectively about what they have learned! 

The seven principles of the United States Constitution covered in this resource are:

• Federalism
• Popular Sovereignty
• Republicanism
• Limited Government
• Individual Rights
• Checks and Balances
• Separation of Powers

The structure of the Constitution covered is as follows:

• The Preamble
• Articles I – VII
• The Amendments

✯ Structure of the Constitution Matching. In this cut-and-paste matching activity, students match summaries to each of the seven Articles of the Constitution, then illustrate the main idea of the section. Synthesizing their understanding into a drawing helps students remember these tricky concepts! 

• Sample Summaries:
  • This section includes all the changes that have been made to the Constitution over the years. The first ten additions are called the Bill of Rights. Other changes include abolishing slavery, establishing voting rights, setting the national voting age to 18, and banning poll taxes. (The Amendments)
  • The Legislative Branch has the power to make laws. This Congress is split into two chambers: the Senate and the House of Representatives. The powers and responsibilities of the Congress include levying taxes, funding the military, and declaring war. (Article I)

✯ Structure of the Constitution Headline News Activity. Students create a headline news “webpage” connecting news stories (real life examples of the government in action, both contemporary and historical) to specific Articles and Sections of the United States Constitution. This cut-and-paste activity would fit in nicely with a Civics or American Government interactive notebook or lapbook!

Headline News Stories include:

• Marriage Ban Overturned: The White House lights up in rainbow colors to celebrate Obergefell v. Hodges. The Supreme Court ruled state bans on same-sex marriage unconstitutional, making gay marriage legal nationwide. (Article VI of the Constitution: The Supremacy Clause means that federal law takes precedence over state laws.) 
• Gen Z Goes to Congress: In November 2022, 25-year-old Maxwell Frost (D-FL) became the first member of Gen Z to join the House of Representatives. (Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution details the requirements for joining Congress, including a minimum age limit of 25.)

Together, these three resources create an engaging, hands-on lesson on the structure of the U.S. Constitution! 

The resources in this bundle are presented as non-editable, printable PDFs. Where possible,digital TPT Easel resources are also available, which can be assigned directly to your Google Classroom from TPT. Check each resource’s product page via the links above to see if there is a digital copy available.

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